CSN Mock Draft, Pick 25: Vikings select …

Arthur Brown, MLB, Kansas State (6-0, 241)

In our mock draft, the Vikings used the first (No. 23 overall) of their 11 total picks on a cornerback. Two slots later, they target another pressing need on defense by adding Arthur Brown, an athletic middle linebacker who plays bigger than his size. Arthur is the brother of Eagles RB Bryce Brown.

Brown sat out the 2010 season after transferring from Miami (FL). Still, he was a two-time captain for the Wildcats, and totaled at least 100 tackles in each of his two seasons in uniform. In 2012, he had seven tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

In Minnesota, he would plug a major hole. The Vikings lost last year’s starter, Jasper Brinkley, to Arizona in free agency, and there is no apparent successor on the roster.

Brown checked in at 241 pounds at the combine, several pounds heavier than his listed weight in college, and he showed no ill effects of the weight gain during his pro-day workout.  After not working out in Indy because of a shoulder injury, by all reports, Brown’s pro day went extremely well.

Brown is similar in size to London Fletcher and Curtis Lofton, both of whom have been highly productive for many years. Like those two players, Brown has a good feel for how to play the middle. He is an aggressive tackler and brings the added benefit of being able to turn and run with slot receivers. However, he does need to be more consistent at staying with receivers throughout the route. As a run defender he is at his best when he can make a quick read and fire toward the football.

Brown may be able to help a team that runs a 3-4 defense, but I like him best in the middle of a 4-3, which the Vikings employ. His test will be to maintain the added weight and still be an impact player throughout a rigorous 16-game schedule. His history of production after switching schools in college suggests he will be able to handle the demands of running an NFL defense. If so, Brown could become a standout at the next level.

There are other MLB candidates the Vikings could consider in the first round on April 25. Manti Te’o already is off our board, and I prefer Brown to Georgia’s Alec Ogletree, based on sustained production.

In addition to a need at MLB, the Vikings have an aging defensive line. Since this draft class is deep up front, grabbing a middle linebacker early may be the better option.

Brown’s decorations include being named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (2011) and Defensive Player of the Year (2012). So, he’s already proven he can become a difference-maker and team leader in short order. Those are attributes he will need as he takes on his next challenge.